Virtual Tour of Newton (kind of)

Okay. I try really hard not to ever offend anyone on this blog. I even hold back from trashy language and stories about table dancing. But, if you are from Dalhart, Texas, I'm just so sorry. Please understand this is just an observation and not a judgement. That town STINKS. Jay and I stayed there on our way back home. We were so freaked out we didn't even have dinner. We just barricaded ourselves in the hotel room and pulled the sheet over our head. The swimming pool was green. The front desk clerk was really spooky. I've seen enough scary movies to be able to envision a trap door opening in the bathroom and three men with chain saws and handcuffs creeping into our room. I had to pretend, for the sake of my child, that it was all fine and normal. I just kept saying, It could be a lot worse, while tears seeped out of his eyes. I'm afraid I've turned him into an elitist who needs fine hotels with fluffy robes and room service. About the stinky part - there are stockyards everywhere, and they smell so bad. I may have also turned my child into a vegetarian. He said, What are all those cows out there for? And I said, That's what we buy in the grocery store when we want a good juicy hamburger....those cows put through a meat grinder. The look on his face, which I see more and more these days, said to me that I probably gave him too much information.


We are back in Flagstaff now. I drove 2,870 miles. I am so flipping tired. But we had so much fun and it was such a great trip. We did so much to the new house; some of it fun, some just putting out fires. The fleas were horrible. I've never experienced that before. It's such a weird psychological thing. I immediately felt gross and dirty. I was FREAKED out. But, being in Newton, when I called the pest control guy, he said, "I'll be out there in about ten minutes (yes, TEN MINUTES)" and then he was. And the fleas were all gone within 2 hours. Then, the next day when I did a load of laundry, the washer drain pipe just SPEWED water everywhere when the rinse cycle came on. Called the plumber and HE said, "Okay, I'll get out there in a few minutes" and he was there in a few minutes. Weird. So, things feel fixed and okay. The house is all furnished and I am shopping garage sales for a porch swing. There is this beautiful friendliness thing in some parts of the Midwest. Newton is like that. There are a bizillion grandmas and grandpas back there and they all want to talk. So does every bank teller and store clerk. And it's so genuine. They truly want to know what you think and where you're from and how you like the Dillon's store down the street.

Here's a story about the trailer.....When we got all the furniture unloaded, I just wanted that trailer off the car. It bumped around and made a ton of noise. Jay and I drove to the only U-Haul place open on Sunday and went in. It was a huge room in an old (1940"s) strip mall. Really run down. Stuff (junk) everywhere. Parts of threshing machines, cans and jars of screws and nuts and bolts. There was a white haired man sitting at an ancient, dark brown office desk on the phone. There was an old fan on the floor, set at high, that was held together with duct tape and wire. I looked around and on his bulletin board was one thing; a paper certificate that said "Robert Unrue has been a member of the Lion's Club for 60 years." It was very official looking. On the wall were tacked two pictures from when he was a pilot in World War Two. He got off the phone, talked to us and got all the info necessary. Told us he's 88 years old and was born in the house behind this shop. I mentioned his certificate and the pictures and he really smiled. It was obvious that he was truly very proud of his commitments. He directed us to drive the car across the street to a grassy lot that had a couple more U-Hauls on it, go around the second tree, down through that shallow gully, and wait. I thought, who's he gonna have take the trailer off? We drove over, looked back, and there he was, with a bright red walker, making his way slowly across the street and over to us. He disconnected the wires and chains, lifted the tongue of the trailer up and set it on the grass, and we were free to go. Good, proud, hard-working people. Salt of the earth stuff.

I have to admit, when I first walked in the house, I thought "What the F**K did I do? I mean, there are cracks in a few of the walls and the sills could use some sanding. The porch needs to be painted and a couple of the windows have a difficult time opening. There's a root cellar in the back yard that needs a sump pump and a new roof to make it tornado proof and dry. So, there's work to be done.
But being there for days, settling in, meeting people and listening to the thunderstorms....I think it was one of the best decisions I've made, albeit a bit impulsive. I love fixing things. It makes me think of my dad. And everything is so green and there are creeks and ponds and streams all over the place. Here is a picture of the downtown and it is beautiful. There is a great coffee shop and a cool bookstore. There is a health food store that is wonderful and not expensive. Antique stores and a brick, old, corner tavern. It's a growing town, not a dying one. This grain elevator is three blocks from my house. The train station is four blocks away. My brother lives an hour to the north. And my parent's grave is thirty minutes from my house. I made another good decision...man, I hope this is a pattern.

Follow your bliss. - Joseph Campbell